Beef L T

Sure, I love bacon. I mean, I’m a guy, right? Right?!? For those who doubt me, I just checked, and the plumbing says GUY! So, of course I love bacon. In fact, I love it so much that it messes me up in math. You know those word problems they used to give us just so they could watch our little heads explode? Don’t tell me you don’t remember those! Yeah, my love of bacon almost made me fail on test, because of the word problem:

If you have ten pieces of bacon and your friend asks you for three pieces, how many pieces do you have left?

Obviously, my answer was ten, because I’m not giving anyone any of my bacon! Getyerohn! Even after explaining this to the teacher, she wouldn’t change it. And when I argued the way the question was posed left open the chance that I wouldn’t give my friend any bacon, my English teacher gave me extra credit, and my math teacher gave me detention. Somehow, it didn’t seem to balance out in my favor, even though I was correct in terms of both the math and the grammar!

But that’s not why I’m here today, and it’s not why your’e here, either. Today it’s about steak! But see, the thing is, most people think of a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich when they think BLT. I don’t.

Wait! Don’t impeach me yet! I like BLT – bacon, lettuce, tomato – sandwiches OK. It’s just that I prefer a plain bacon sandwich or a plain tomato sandwich over the combined BLT. That’s for another day, though. We’ll get back to that. Eventually. But today it’s about BEEF!

Now, think of a steak sandwich, and you probably think of that shaved thin as paper meat, fired up on a grill (inside this means flat hot surface, not an open fire over which to burn your meat), then combined with sauteed onions and some cheese goop. Or, you might say, “wait a minute! My local franchise barn does a real rib-eye on a bun!” Technically, both of these qualify as steak sandwiches. And, yes, I have certainly eaten my share of each. When it comes to the former, I’ve eaten your share too. And your sister’s. And possibly your best friend’s, as well. But neither of them compares with the Beef LT I’m about to show you. Are you ready to have some fun? I am, so let’s go!

Ingredients:

2 pounds flank or skirt steak
1 loaf of country style bread
1 head Bibb lettuce
3 medium tomatoes
1 onion (color your choice)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

For Mayonnaise:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons fresh chives
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

First, get everything out on the counter, especially the steak, so it can begin to warm up to room temperature.

Make the mayonnaise first. That way it will be at its happiest when it’s time to use it.

Roughly chop or tear basil leaves and put them in blender. Add mayo, chives and lemon juice. Pulse three or four times to blend. Then scrape it all out into a nice serving bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge while you make continue.

Heat a grill pan or skillet, or your grill until hot enough to give off a bit of smoke.

Drizzle a very thin coating of olive oil over both sides of the steak. Not a lot… just a thin, thin coating.

Season steak with pepper and garlic powder.

Cut bread into thick slices. I use my bread knife as a guide for width. If I use the flat of the blade as a guide, that’s the thickest slice of bread I can fit in my toaster. So… cut thick slices of bread and toast them while the steak is cooking. If they’re too tall to do in your toaster, use a toaster over or your oven.

Grill each side for about 4 minutes for medium rare. I strongly recommend you do not cook it any longer than that. Even if you’re used to well done meat, try it this way just once! (smile)

When steak is done, transfer to a cutting board and let it rest for five minutes while you build the sandwiches.

To make the sandwiches, spread basil mayo on both sides of the bread. Put lettuce down next, then nice, thick tomato slices. There is nothing thin in this sandwich, except the onions. You’ll thank me later; seriously, you will.

Layer some thinly sliced onions over the tomato.

Now, using a sharp knife, cut the steak on an angle and against the grain. Top each sandwich with steak, and sprinkle a generous amount of salt. Cover with the second piece of bread.

Serve immediately with a good-quality beer or other tasty beverage, and more of the basil mayo.

Notes:

You’ll notice that I don’t put salt on the meat before cooking. There’s a serious debate over this, and all I’ll say is that it works best for me to hold the salt until after the cooking is done.

Instead of lettuce of any type, use baby spinach leaves for your greens. They taste better, and they’re better for you!

Can’t stand the thought of not having bacon? Go ahead and add some slices on top of the steak. No one will dis you for that.

Other additions I love: Mild sliced cheese, and avocado.

So, the next time someone asks you for bacon, give them this sandwich instead. I’m betting they will be just fine with that choice! And, above all,

Play with your food!

Lane

Try my other Sandwich Recipes here.

Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

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